This description makes reference to various types of “card device” and their associated “reader devices” (respectively referred to merely as cards and readers). The card devices all contain card information that is accessed by “coupling” the card device to an associated reader device. The card information is used for various secure access purposes including drawing cash from an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), making a purchase on credit, updating a loyalty point account and so on. The card information is typically accessed from the card by a corresponding card reader which then sends the card information to a “back-end” system that completes the appropriate transaction or process.
One type of card is the “standard credit card” which in this description refers to a traditional plastic card 701 as depicted in FIG. 1. The standard credit card is typically “swiped” through a slot in a standard credit card reader in order to access card information 702 on the card 701. The card information 702 can alternately be encoded using an optical code such as a bar code, in which case the reader is suitably adapted. The standard credit card 701 also typically has the signature 703 of the card-owner written onto a paper strip on the card 701. This is used for verification of the identity of the person submitting the card when conducting a transaction using the card 701.
Another type of card device is the smart card (not shown) that typically has an on-board processor and a memory. The smart card typically has electrical contacts that mate with corresponding contacts on a smart card reader (not shown) when accessing data in the memory of the smart card.
Another type of card device is the wireless “key-fob” which is a small radio transmitter that emits a radio frequency (RF) signal when a button on the fob is pressed. The RF signal can be encoded using the Wiegand protocol, or any other suitable protocol, such as rolling code or Bluetooth™ and can include encryption if desired. The key-fob typically has a processor and memory storing data that is sent via the transmitted signal to a corresponding receiver, which is the “reader device” for this type of card device.
The description also refers to “card user” and “card owner”. The card user is the person who submits the card for a particular transaction. The card user can thus be the (authorised) card owner or an (unauthorised) person who has found or stolen the card.
Clearly the signature 703 on the standard credit card 701 in FIG. 1 can be forged. Thus, if the standard card 701 is stolen or lost, an unauthorised user can use the card provided that they can supply a sufficiently accurate version of the signature 703. The only recourse available to the card owner is to notify the card issuing company to “cancel” the card.
Current card devices such as the standard credit card, the smart card and the key-fob can have their security enhanced by requiring the card user to provide PIN (Personal Identification Number) information through a keypad to verify their identity prior to completing a transaction. However, PIN information can also be “stolen” by surveillance of the card owner's hands as the card owner operates the keypad.
Biometric verification can also be incorporated into current card systems to enhance security. In FIG. 2 the card user swipes the standard card 701 through an associated card reader (not shown) that accesses the card information 702 on the card 701. The card user also provides a biometric input 801, for example by pressing their thumb against a biometric (eg fingerprint) reader 802. The card information 702 that is read by the card reader (not shown), together with the biometric signature that is read by the biometric (fingerprint) reader 802, are sent, as depicted by a dashed arrow 803, a computer network 804, and a further dashed arrow 805, to a back-end system including a database 806 and associated processor (not shown).
In this arrangement, the card owner needs to have previously registered their biometric signature 801 and the card information 702 for pre-loading onto the back-end database 806. Having done so, the back-end processor (not shown) compares the pre-loaded information on the database 806 with the information received at 805, in order to check that the card holder of the card 701 is the (authorised) card owner and that the card itself is valid, in which case the transaction in question can proceed. Clearly this arrangement requires a central repository (806) of card information 702 and biometric information 801. This is cumbersome and potentially compromises the privacy of the holder of the card 701. This arrangement also requires complex back-end database management and the communications network 804. Furthermore, the front-end biometric signature reader 802 requires storage and/or processing capabilities for the biometric signatures. This results in a complex and expensive solution.
Privacy concerns have also been raised against the arrangement of FIG. 2 which involves centralised storage and processing of personal information including biometric information. These concerns have slowed widespread use of biometrics to enhance user verification.